This invention relates to an improvement in a process for recovery of cobalt from cobalt bearing material by which a high purity cobalt article is produced.
Superalloy manufacturers presently use high purity cobalt metal in the production of their alloys. This cobalt metal is in the form of electrolytic broken cathodes which range in size from approximately 0.1 to about 2 inches on a side. They must be prepared by electrodeposition from a cobalt solution. The cobalt solution must be of high purity, which involves extra processing to obtain.
It would be desirable to produce from alloy scrap a pure cobalt in a form which can be used in the manufacture of superalloys. An advantage of this would be that some of this scrap material could be obtained from the superalloy manufacturers themselves, thereby making more efficient use of this strategically important metal.